Extractable filler for inserting medicine into animal tissue

ABSTRACT

An extractable device is used to insert a medicinal filling into an animal tissue. The device comprises a filling member and a pasty medicine. The filling member is made of a flexible and permeable wall and is provided with a holding portion and an injection port via which the pasty medicine is injected into the holding portion after the filling member is inserted into the animal tissue. The holding portion is provided with an opening which is releasably lashed by one end of one or more threads so as to make the opening leakproof. Upon completion of solidification of the pasty medicine in the holding portion of the filling member, other end of the thread is pulled to unlash the opening of the holding portion, thereby enabling the filling member to be extracted from the animal tissue so as to leave only the medicine in the animal tissue.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an instrument which is usedin the restorative operation of animal tissue disorder. Morespecifically this surgical instrument can be used to insert a medicalmaterial into an animal tissue such that the instrument can be separatedfrom the medical material and drawn out of the animal tissue so as toavert the possibility of tissue rejection.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The surgical treatment of animal tissue disorder can be generallyattained by one of three methods, which include the hypodermic injectionof medicine, the balloon-insertion of medicine, and the filler-insertionof medicine. For example, the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,972,105; 6,066,154; and6,248,110B1 disclose respectively a method for treating bone tissuedisorders, such as osteoporosis and vertebral compression fractures. Themethod involves the use of a balloon (made by the Kyphon Crop., U.S.A.)by which the tissue is expanded to facilitate the inserting of themedicine. This balloon method is defective in design in that themedicine is apt to spread aimlessly in the tissue without boundary.Without containment, the medicine is not as effective and there is thepossibility of injury to the surrounding tissues.

In order to prevent the drawbacks of the balloon method described above,the filler-insertion method is used to implant the medicine in animaltissue in such a way that the medicine is contained in the filler, andthat both the medicine and the filler are implanted in the animaltissue. This filler-insertion method is often carried out in danger ofthe tissue rejection of the filler.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An extractable device for inserting a medicinal filling into an animaltissue, said device comprising:

a filling member comprising a flexible and permeable wall and providedwith a holding portion, an injection port at one end of the holdingportion, and an opening at another end of the holding portion;

one or more thread, each having one end for fastening releasably saidopening of said holding portion in such a manner that said opening isleakproof; and

a pasty medicine to be injected into said holding portion via saidinjection port of said filling member in the wake of a process forinserting said filling member into the animal tissue whereby said pastymedicine solidifies in said holding portion of said filling member;

said opening of said holding portion being unfastened at the time whenother end of said threads is pulled by an external force, therebyenabling said filling member to be extracted from the animal tissue soas to leave only said medicine in the animal tissue.

Preferably, wherein said flexible and permeable wall is of a one-layeredor multi-layered construction.

Preferably, said holding portion of said filling member is integrallyformed by said flexible and permeable wall into a body in the form ofsac, bag, or ball.

Preferably, said pasty medicine is a mixture of a liquid and a medicinalpowdered substance or medicinal granular substance.

Preferably, the device of the present invention further comprises aninjection tool for injecting said pasty medicine into said holdingportion via said injection port.

Preferably, said injection tool comprises a guide tube and a syringe,wherein one end of said guide tube is connected to said injection portof said filling member and another end of said guide tube is connectedto said syringe in which said pasty medicine is held, so that said pastymedicine is able to be injected into said holding portion of saidfilling member by said syringe via said injection port and said guidetube.

Preferably, said flexible and permeable wall is a double-layer tubularwall having one end of an inner layer thereof being provided with saidinjection port of said holding portion, and having another end thereofbeing a folded double-layer end with said opening of said holdingportion, wherein said medicine is released from said filling member bypulling a free end of an outer layer of the double-layer tubular wall toretreat the folded double-layer end, after said opening of said holdingportion being unfastened.

Preferably, said one or more thread is between said inner layer and saidouter layer of said double-layer tubular wall.

According to another aspect of the present invention an extractabledevice for inserting a medicinal filling into an animal tissue, saiddevice comprises:

a filling member comprising a flexible and permeable wall which isformed of a plurality of threads by weaving, said filling memberprovided with a holding portion and an injection port at one end of theholding portion, said threads having a pull end extending out of saidfilling member; and

a pasty medicine to be injected into said holding portion via saidinjection port of said filling member in the wake of a process forinserting said filling member into the animal tissue whereby said pastymedicine solidifies in said holding portion of said filling member;

said flexible and permeable wall of said filling member beingdisintegrated at the time when the pull end of said threads is pulled byan external force, thereby enabling said filling member to be extractedfrom the animal tissue so as to leave only said medicine in the animaltissue.

The present invention also discloses a method for implanting asolidified medicine into an animal tissue comprising:

inserting a filling member in a hole of an animal tissue, said fillingmember comprising a flexible and permeable wall and provided with aholding portion, an injection port at one end of the holding portion,and an opening at another end of the holding portion, wherein one ormore thread is provided and each having one end fastening releasablysaid opening of said holding portion in such a manner that said openingis leakproof;

injecting a pasty medicine into said holding portion via said injectionport of said filling member, whereby said pasty medicine solidifies insaid holding portion of said filling member; and

unfastening said opening of said holding portion by pulling other end ofsaid threads, thereby enabling said filling member to be extracted fromthe animal tissue so as to leave only said solidified medicine in theanimal tissue.

Preferably, the method further comprises fastening detachably aninjection tool with said filling member, so that said pasty medicine isinjected into said holding portion via said injection tool. Morepreferably, said injection tool comprises a guide tube and a syringe,wherein one end of said guide tube is connected to said injection portof said filling member and another end of said guide tube is connectedto said syringe in which said pasty medicine is held, wherein said pastymedicine is injected into said holding portion of said filling member bysaid syringe via said injection port and said guide tube.

The flexible wall of the filling member of the present invention is madeof a biocompatible or biosynthetic material, such as rubber, elasticplastic, titanium, goat intestine, and the like. The flexible wall isprovided with a plurality of pores and is therefore permeable. Theflexible wall can be formed into an object in the form of sac, bag,ball, cylinder or rectangular column integrally or by joining separatepieces.

The filling member of the present invention may contain a ray imagingmaterial, such as a metal wire, by which the precise position of thefilling member can be easily located by a ray imaging system, such as anX-ray machine.

The flexible wall of the filling member of the present invention may beof a one-layered or multi-layered construction, depending on theparticle size and the viscosity of the medicine. If the particle size ofthe medicine is relatively large, the flexible wall is preferably of atwo-layered construction. If the viscosity of the medicine is relativelyhigh, the flexible wall is also preferably of a two-layeredconstruction. On the other hand, the flexible wall is preferably of athree-layered or four-layered construction under the circumstances thathe particle size of the medicine is relatively small and that heviscosity of the medicine is relatively lower.

The features and the advantages of the present invention will be morereadily understood upon a thoughtful deliberation of the followingdetailed description of the preferred embodiments of the presentinvention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a sectional schematic view of the present invention.

FIGS. 2 a-2 c are schematic views illustrating the lashing of theopening of the holding portion of the filling member of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 a shows a longitudinal sectional view of a one-layered wall ofthe filling member of the present invention.

FIG. 3 b shows a longitudinal sectional view of a multi-layered wall ofthe filling member of the present invention.

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b are sectional schematic view of the present inventionat work.

FIGS. 5 a-5 c are schematic views illustrating the unlashing of theopening of the holding portion of the filling member of the presentinvention upon completion of the injection of the medicine into theholding portion of the filling member.

FIG. 6 a shows a schematic view of the connection tube of theimplantation-injection apparatus of the present invention.

FIGS. 6 b and 6 c are sectional schematic views illustrating the processin which the filling member of the present invention is extracted fromthe animal tissue.

FIGS. 7 a and 7 b are schematic views illustrating that the opening ofthe holding portion of the filling member of the present invention isreleasably lashed by a thread.

FIGS. 8 a-8 d are schematic views illustrating a process in which theopening of the holding portion of the filling member of the presentinvention is releasably lashed by two threads in conjunction withsewing.

FIG. 9 a shows a schematic view of the flexible wall of the presentinvention being made of two threads which are releasably interlaced.

FIG. 9 b is a schematic view to show that the two threads of theflexible wall, as shown in FIG. 9 a, are unfastened.

FIG. 10 a is a schematic view illustrating a process in which adouble-layer wall of the holding portion of the filling member of thepresent invention is formed.

FIG. 10 b illustrating a process in which the double-layer wall of theholding portion of the filling member of the present invention isretreated from the solidified medicine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in FIG. 1, an extractable filler 10 embodied in the presentinvention comprises a filling member 20, a pasty medicine 30, aconnection tube 40, and two threads 50 and 51. The filling member 20 isformed of a flexible wall 21 and is provided with a holding portion 22and an injection port 23. The flexible wall 21 may be made of rubberwith perforated holes or woven fabric with meshed pores. The pastymedicine 30 is injected into the holding portion 22 via the connectiontube 40 and the injection port 23. The dotted line 3-3 shows a directionin which a section of the filling member 20 is taken.

As shown in FIG. 2 a, the holding portion 22 of the filling member 20 isprovided with an opening 24 opposite to the injection port 23 of thefilling member 20. The opening 24 is lashed by two threads 50 and 51.The first thread 50 has a first end 501 and a second end 502, while thesecond thread 51 has a first end 511 and a second end 512. The twothreads 50 and 51 are in fact fastened releasably to the flexible wall21 near the opening 24. The way by which they are fastened together isnot shown in the drawing.

The opening 24 of the holding portion 22 of the filling member 20 issecurely tied up to prevent the medicine 30 from leaking out of theholding portion 22 by means of the two threads 50 and 51 which arereleasably entangled in such a manner that the first end 511 of thesecond thread 51 is wound around the first thread 50. Upon completion ofthe winding process, the flexible wall 21 surrounding the opening 24 islocated in a position between the two threads 50 and 51, as indicated bya dotted line 4-4 in FIG. 2 b. Thereafter, both ends 501 and 502 of thefirst thread 50, and the first end 511 of the second thread 51 arerespectively pulled rightward and leftwards at the same time, asillustrated in FIG. 2 c. As a result, the opening 24 of the fillingmember 20 is leakproof.

The flexible wall 21 of the filling member 20 is of a one-layeredconstruction, as shown in FIG. 3 a, or of a multi-layered construction,as shown in FIG. 3 b. The flexible wall 21 is provided with a pluralityof pores 211 permeable to fluids. If the flexible wall 21 is of amulti-layered construction, the flexible walls 21 are laminated in sucha way that the pores 211 are not corresponding in location to slow downthe passage of the fluids.

As shown in FIGS. 4 a and 4 b, the filling member 20 is first insertedinto a blind hole 71 of an animal tissue 70. The pasty medicine 30 isthen injected into the holding portion 22 of the filling member 20 by asyringe 60 in conjunction with the connection tube 40. The fillingmember 20 is thus inflated by the medicine 30, as shown in FIG. 4 b. Theconnection tube 40 has one end 41 which is connected with the fillingmember 20, and another end 42 which is connected to one end 611 of abarrel 61 of the syringe 60. A plunger 62 is slidably inserted intoanother end 612 of the barrel 61 in which the pasty medicine 30 iscontained.

The pasty medicine 30 is a mixture of a liquid and one or more kinds ofanimal tissue drugs in the form of powder, granule, or colloid. Thepasty medicine 30 is capable of solidification.

Upon completion of the solidification of the pasty medicine 30 in theblind hole 71 of the animal tissue 70, the filling member 20 must beextracted from the blind hole 71 of the animal tissue 70, so as to leaveonly the medicine 30 in the blind hole 71 of the animal tissue 70 toprevent the rejection of the filling member 20 by the animal tissue 70.The extraction of the filling member 20 from the blind hole 71 of theanimal tissue 70 involves a first step in which the second end 512 ofthe second thread 51 is pulled upward as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 5a. As a result, the two threads 50 and 51 become loosened, as shown inFIG. 5 b. Thereafter, the first end 501 of the first thread 50 and thesecond end 512 of the second thread 51 are respectively pulled in adirection away from the opening 24 of the filling member 20, asillustrated in FIG. 5 c. The opening 24 is thus unfastened completely.

As shown in FIG. 6 a, the connection tube 40 is provided in one end 41with a pointed projection 411 inside the tube. As the connection tube 40is slightly twisted, the solidified medicine 30 is severed by thepointed projection 411 of the connection tube 40. The filling member 20can be drawn out of the blind hole 71 of the animal tissue 70 by theconnection tube 40, as illustrated in FIG. 6 b and FIG. 6 c. As aresult, only the medicine 30 is left in the blind hole 71 of the animaltissue.

The opening 24 of the filling member 20 may be fastened by only onethread 50, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 a and 7 b. The thread 50 has afirst end 501 and a second end 502. With the thread 50, a knot is formedto lash the opening 24 of the filling member 20 in such a manner thatthe flexible wall 21 of the opening 24 is surrounded by a loop asindicated by a line 5-5 in FIG. 7 a. With the second end 502 of thethread 50 remaining in the stationary state, the first end 501 is pulledto fasten the opening 24. The opening 24 is unfastened by pulling thesecond end 502 of the thread 20, thereby resulting in separation of thefilling member 20 from the thread 50.

The thread 50 can be also used to form a different knot, as shown inFIG. 7 b. The flexible wall 21 of the opening 24 of the filling member20 is surrounded by a loop as indicated by a line 6-6 in FIG. 7 b. Asthe first end 501 of the thread 50 is pulled in a direction away fromthe filling member 20, the opening 24 of the filling member 20 is lashedto become leakproof. The opening 24 of the filling member 20 is unlashedto enable the filling member 20 to separate from the thread 50 bypulling the second end 502 of the thread 50.

The opening 24 of the filling member 20 can be releasably fastened bysewing in conjunction with two threads 50 and 51, as illustrated inFIGS. 8 a-8 d. With the first thread 50, a plurality of loops areformed. These loops are joined with the flexible wall 21 of the opening24 by sewing. The second thread 51 is put through the loops of the firstthread 50. As the second thread 51 is pulled out of the loops of thefirst thread 50, the first thread 50 becomes separated from the flexiblewall 21 of the opening 24 of the filling member 20, as illustrated inFIGS. 8 b-8 d. As a result, the opening 24 is unfastened. Such afastening as described above is similar to that which is commonly usedto fasten the opening of a cement or flour bag.

As shown in FIGS. 9 a and 9 b, the flexible wall 21 of the fillingmember 20 is in fact a flexible fabric which is made of two threads 50and 51 by weaving or knitting. The filling member 20 has a saclike form.The filling member 20 can be broken up in its entirety by pulling anexposed end of the thread 50, as shown in FIG. 9 b. It must be notedhere that the flexible fabric is provided with a plurality of meshes.

A further embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 10 a, andFIG. 10 b, which is similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 2 c,except that a filling member 80 is formed of a double-layer wall 81 andthe first thread 51 and second thread 52 are located between an innerlayer 812 and an outer layer 811 of the double-layer wall 81. As shownin FIG. 10 a, a flexible and permeable tubular wall is tied at anintermediate point thereof by the threads 50 and 51 at the beginning.The lower portion 811 of the tubular wall (will become an outer layer)is then rolled up, so that it is inside out and covering up the threads50 and 51 and the upper portion 812 of the tubular wall (will become aninner layer). The rolled-up end of said double-layer wall 81 is providedwith an opening 82 of the holding portion 22, which is lashed by the twothreads 50 and 51. The opening 82 is unfastened by pulling the threads50 and 51 the same way as shown in FIGS. 4 a to 4 c. As shown in FIG. 10b, the rolled-up double-layer end is retreated from the solidifiedmedicine 30 by pulling a free end of the outer layer 811 of thedouble-layer wall 81, while one end of the inner layer 812 is connectedto the connection tube 40 as an injection port of said holding portion22 of the said filling member 80, whereby said solidified medicine 30 isreleased from said filling member 80. A working tube 43 is used toaccommodate the connection tube 40, the threads 50 and 51 and the freeend of the outer layer 811 of the double-layer wall 81 of the fillingmember 80.

The embodiments of the present invention described above are to beregarded in all respects as being illustrative and nonrestrictive.Accordingly, the present invention may be embodied in other specificforms without deviating from the spirit thereof. The present inventionis therefore to be limited only the scopes of the following claims.

1. An extractable device for inserting a solidifiable medicinal fillinginto an animal tissue, comprising: a flexible, permeable containerhaving a proximal injection port for injection of the filling into thecontainer, and a releasably closable distal opening for delivery of thefilling into the animal tissue outside of the container; and at leastone releasable thread that releasably closes the distal opening tocontain the filling within the container prior to solidification, andthat reopens the distal opening to enable the delivery of the fillinginto the animal tissue outside of the container after solidification. 2.The device of claim 1, in which the thread is releasable uponapplication of an external pulling force.
 3. The device of claim 1, inwhich the thread is releasable upon application of an external pushingforce.
 4. The device of claim 1, in which the container is sufficientlyflexible for removal from the animal tissue after solidification of thefilling within the container.
 5. The device of claim 1, in which thecontainer is shaped like a bag.
 6. The device of claim 1, in which thecontainer is shaped like a ball.
 7. The device of claim 1, in which thecontainer comprises a tubular wall.
 8. The device of claim 1, in whichthe container comprises a holding portion integrally formed by a wall ofthe flexible and permeable container.
 9. The device of claim 1, in whichthe container comprises a single-layered wall.
 10. The device of claim1, in which the container comprises a multi-layered wall.
 11. The deviceof claim 1, in which the container comprises inner and outer layers. 12.The device of claim 1, further comprising means for injecting thesolidifiable medicinal filling into the device through the injectionport.
 13. The device of claim 1, in which the permeable container isformed of a plurality of threads.
 14. The device of claim 1, in whichthe permeable container is formed of a plurality of threads by weaving.15. In combination, the device of claim 1 and an injection tool forinjecting the solidifiable medicinal filling into the device through theinjection port.
 16. The combination of claim 13, in which the injectiontool comprises a guide tube connected to the injection port.
 17. Amethod for implanting a solidified medicine into an animal tissue,comprising: inserting into the animal tissue a flexible, permeablecontainer having a distal opening that is releasably closable; at leastpartially filling the container with a solidifiable medicinal filling;solidifying the medicinal filling within the container; reopening thedistal opening of the container; and depositing the filling into theanimal tissue through the distal opening by extracting the containerfrom the animal tissue.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprisinginjecting the filling into the container through an injection port on aproximal end of the container.
 19. An extractable device for placing asolidifiable medicinal filling into an animal tissue, comprising: aflexible, permeable container, comprising a proximal inlet for receiptof the filling and a releasably closable distal outlet for subsequentdelivery of solidified filling into the animal tissue; at least onereleasable thread to reduce leakage of the filling from the container.20. A method for placing a solidified medicine into an animal tissue,comprising: inserting into the animal tissue a flexible, permeablecontainer having a proximal inlet and a distal, releasably leakproofoutlet; providing the container with a solidifiable medicinal fillingthrough the proximal inlet; solidifying the filling within thecontainer; reopening the distal outlet; delivering the solidifiedfilling into the animal tissue through the distal outlet opening; andremoving the container from the animal tissue.